We only have 8 weeks to go and some of our top rookies are still delivering for those that may have been forced or wanted to hold. We had a couple of debutants this week but I’m not sure they can be relied upon for the rest of the year. Pretty obvious one here but if any rookie with great job security pops up then lock them on your bench as they will likely be needed on field at some stage.
Players on the bubble are shown with an asterisk.
DEFENDERS
| Player | Club | Price (Change) | Score (Ave) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massimo D'AMBROSIO* | ESS | $102,400 | 53 (52) | -44 |
| Brodie KEMP | CAR | $156,800 | 73 (65) | -37 |
| Rhett BAZZO* (FWD) | WCE | $117,300 | 37 (39) | -8 |
| Jordan BOYD | CAR | $242,100 (+$24.2k) | 50 (50) | -1 |
| Patrick PARNELL | ADE | $149,000 (+$25.1k) | 18 (43) | -1 |
| Jacob WEHR | GWS | $244,500 (+$33.1k) | 67 (62) | 11 |
| Nasiah WANGANEEN-MILERA (MID) | STK | $276,400 (+$20.6k) | 68 (53) | 38 |
| Mitchell HINGE | ADE | $323,600 (+$17.6k) | 62 (65) | 45 |
| Nick DAICOS (MID) | COL | $440,200 (+$36.1k) | 93 (84) | 53 |
| Sam DE KONING (FWD) | GEE | $359,400 (+$6.1k) | 100 (67) | 63 |
| Colin O'RIORDAN | SYD | $202,800 | DNP (42) | 67 |
| Flynn PEREZ | NTH | $222,800 (-$16.2k) | 13 (42) | 76 |
| Patrick MCCARTIN (FWD) | SYD | $371,700 (-$7.9k) | 51 (70) | 108 |
| Joshua GIBCUS | RIC | $284,500 (-$27.2k) | 13 (58) | 113 |
| Sam DURDIN | CAR | $123,900 | DNP (57) | - |
| Jackson ARCHER | NTH | $117,300 | 57 (57) | - |
| James BLANCK | HAW | $102,400 | 43 (43) | - |
| Isaac CHUGG | COL | $123,900 | 22 (22) | - |
The Good: How good has Sam De Koning been this year? Carried on where he left off against the duo of Lynch and Riewoldt with 15 touches at 93% with 11 contested possessions and 12 intercepts. Could be a season long keeper if you don’t need the cash. Daicos almost went 3 hundreds in a row with his 93. He still found the ball enough with 25 touches and although he used it well at 80% he used it by hand for the majority and only had the 2 marks.
The Bad: Gibcus had a poor game with just the 3 touches. If he goes forward he will rely on goals as he isn’t a high possession winner. Parnell didn’t have too much to do against the struggling Kangaroos. He had 7 touches with 1 mark and 1 tackle but should bounce back if he keeps his spot.
MIDFIELDERS
| Player | Club | Price (Change) | Score (Ave) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brady HOUGH | WCE | $222,800 (+$19.5k) | 54 (46) | 8 |
| Cooper STEPHENS | GEE | $200,900 | DNP (54) | 26 |
| Dylan STEPHENS | SYD | $239,900 (+$37.6k) | 85 (66) | 33 |
| Jake SOLIGO | ADE | $309,500 (+$22.6k) | 54 (58) | 40 |
| Greg CLARK | WCE | $255,200 | DNP (65) | 52 |
| Jackson HATELY | ADE | $420,600 (+$6.8k) | 83 (77) | 83 |
| James TUNSTILL | BRL | $117,300 | 38 (38) | - |
The Good: Dylan Stephens finally returned to the side and he did what we all picked him to do in round 1. 23 touches mostly along the wings with 4 marks, 18 pressure acts and 474 metres gained. Hately had another good game on the wing and as an extra midfielder from the forward flank. He finished with 21 touches at 81% and 4 marks with 4 score involvements to boost his score.
RUCKS
| Player | Club | Price (Change) | Score (Ave) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick BRYAN | ESS | $200,700 (+$14.1k) | 48 (48) | 11 |
| Callum JAMIESON | WCE | $221,100 (-$13.2k) | -4 (43) | 89 |
| Braydon PREUSS | GWS | $444,100 | DNP (97) | 124 |
| Brynn TEAKLE (FWD) | PTA | $102,400 | DNP (30) | - |
With the ruck carnage we had we couldn’t rely on rookies even with the amount we have been lucky enough to have earlier in the season. Bryan returned for possibly only 1 week with 8 touches and 11 hitouts from 60% TOG. Jamieson also had low TOG with 57% but still had a poor game with a score of -4 as some would have had him on field. He ended with 5 hitouts and 2 touches.
FORWARDS
| Player | Club | Price (Change) | Score (Ave) | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toby BEDFORD | MEL | $214,400 (+$34k) | 80 (56) | -19 |
| Rhylee WEST | WBD | $318,200 (+$31.7k) | 121 (79) | -14 |
| Paul CURTIS | NTH | $244,600 (+$36k) | 87 (52) | -5 |
| Judson CLARKE (MID) | RIC | $146,400 (+$29.1k) | 26 (45) | 15 |
| Jesse MOTLOP | CAR | $150,000 (+$14.5k) | 36 (37) | 16 |
| Jackson MEAD (MID) | PTA | $220,600 (+$4.7k) | 38 (48) | 20 |
| Connor MACDONALD (MID) | HAW | $221,300 (+$15.2k) | 67 (45) | 27 |
| Maurice RIOLI (MID) | RIC | $200,700 (+$5k) | 65 (52) | 28 |
| Marcus WINDHAGER (MID) | STK | $236,200 (+$4.5k) | 58 (46) | 39 |
| Malcolm ROSAS | GCS | $272,000 (+$15.4k) | 38 (56) | 39 |
| Sam BUTLER (MID) | HAW | $182,400 (+$1.9k) | 24 (37) | 43 |
| Robbie MCCOMB (MID) | WBD | $265,700 (-$0.6k) | 59 (57) | 44 |
| Thomas BERRY* | BRL | $171,500 | 17 (27) | 47 |
| Sam WEIDEMAN | MEL | $262,200 (+$9.2k) | 65 (56) | 52 |
| Jack GINNIVAN | COL | $266,600 (-$0.3k) | 69 (63) | 56 |
| Hugo RALPHSMITH (MID) | RIC | $315,900 (-$7.5k) | 68 (64) | 60 |
| Nic MARTIN (MID) | ESS | $369,400 (+$3.2k) | 98 (81) | 61 |
| Joshua RACHELE (MID) | ADE | $217,500 (-$7.6k) | 26 (53) | 62 |
| Corey DURDIN | CAR | $227,300 (-$25.7k) | 31 (49) | 65 |
| Alex DAVIES (MID) | GCS | $224,900 (-$1.8k) | 18 (44) | 74 |
| Ben HOBBS (MID) | ESS | $333,700 (-$5.3k) | 36 (62) | 92 |
The Good: West is on fire at the moment with another excellent game, probably his career best so far. He kicked 3.3 from 19 touches as well as taking 6 marks and laying 5 tackles. 12 contested possessions and 3 goal assists to go with 13 score involvements made this a big one. Martin played well again as he has all year with 20 touches at 85% with 6 marks and he kicked 2.2 with 9 score involvements. Curtis had his best score from his 11 touches at 73% with 4 marks and a goal. He had a goal assist and 4 score involvements but was boosted by 16 pressure acts.
The Bad: Clarke and Butler were relied upon on field this week and they didn’t deliver. Clarke had 4 touches with only 2 being effective and was boosted by a goal. Butler had 9 touches and used it at 56% and he too kicked a goal to boost his low score. Berry got to start a game finally but only had 65% TOG. He had 8 touches at 62% and laid 2 tackles but was held back with 4 clangers and failed to take a mark.
Rookie of the Year Award:
3 – Rhylee West
2 – Sam De Koning
1 – Nic Martin
Rookie of the Year Award After Round 15:
12 – Braydon Preuss
9– Nick Daicos
7 – Jackson Hately
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Really hoping Blanck holds his spot since he is a 102k defender. He had 88% TOG which is a positive and the cheapest price possible can get my scraping out the most cash possible for an upgrade.
A non playing rookie can help loopholes, but late outs and no coverage can hurt even more
88% TOG is a great sign, not sure on their defensive line but I don’t think there are any real issues with people returning to push him out.
Thank you Alza. A Great write up as usual.
With Nic Nat returning this week Jamieson will be dropped.
For those who had to take his -4 it is a week too late for you.
Very unfortunate! Nic nat will definitely be back even with limited minutes will force Jamieson out
For those looking to bring in cheap non playing rookies to allow for loop holes and DPP flexibility West Coast players probably represent your best option as they have the greatest number of Sunday games between now and the end of the season.
Question for the community.
Which DEF has the best JS and could be a bench keeper for the remainder of the yr?
I am thinking Kemp.
@ Willys – I posted the below in another thread, but it gives you a few thoughts on your query:
D’Ambrosio for me – he looks like a ripper
Beautiful kick, makes good decisions, and reminds me a little of a slightly shorter & younger Michael Hibberd.
Think Kemp is still learning his craft, and despite Jordan Boyds foot injury that was announced today, Kemp will probably lose his spot when Weitering, Durdin, McGovern etc return.
Archer probably got picked before he deserved a game, but he looked pretty good – although I suspect they will just try to get 3 or 4 games into him this year (so he knows the level required for preseason next year).
I’m a mad bombers fan and have D’Ambrosio but worried about how bombers fit in McGrath and Parish this week.
Thanks Brett, D’Ambrosio looks the way to go.
Have R Thompson [GC] Any thoughts on him?
Pretty sure Kemp is on the bubble
Rory Thompson is a good key defender that won’t score very high & has had a lot of major injury issues over his career.
It was amazing to see his comeback a few weeks ago, but then hurt his medial ligament (or similar) from memory – and I would personally stay away from Rory.
The job security of rookies debuting this late in the year is always a bit questionable, but as you are after job security, your choice should probably come from either Kemp or D’Ambrosio (not Bazzo).
They are both good players (that generally helps!!) – and my personal view is that D’Ambrosio might find a good niche for himself as a rebounding small DEF for Essendon.
Whereas Kemp has been in an out of the Carlton side – and even with Jordan Boyd now out for the season (who is a slightly smaller defender), Kemp is competing for a position with a few taller players due to return in the next few weeks (eg Weitering, Durdin, McGovern etc).
Now that I have said that, D’Ambrosio will probably get dropped this week – and Kemp will go on to star for the Blues 🙂 🙂
Good luck.
D’Ambrosio is the pick of the bunch for me. Has had quiet patches in his 2 games but still found a way to get to 50. The players aren’t worried about giving him the ball either. If he holds his spot then he will be a good downgrade option.
Thompson may return but he isn’t locked into their best 22 either is Kemp who will likely be dropped in 2/3 weeks. Parnell could be a more expensive option but the cash saved is so important at this stage of the season. Archer may be a good option also but if McKay returns to the backline he may be forced out after they give him a couple games as a test in the AFL
I’d just gotten the kitty together and had planned everything out a few weeks in advance to bring in Stewart this week for Wehr.
Anyway Hall it is. He’s maybe the most fun guy in the whole game to own and I think he gets minimum 15 touches from kick ins this week.